The commonly used laser imaging devices include copiers, printers, and fax machines. For instance, the copiers comprise a photo system which is used as lighting for scanning the original documents, an image forming system which forms toner image on the paper, a paper transfer system which is used to transfer paper from the paper tray through the image forming system and the image fixing system to the paper outlet. All those systems are installed inside the copier. A transparent photo plate is installed on the top of the copier to hold the documents and a cover is placed on the top of the photo plate to press the document onto the photo plate. A photo system is placed underneath of the photo plate.
The imaging forming system is underneath of the photo system and it has a photosensitive drum. A major charger, a developing component, a transfer charger, and a cleaning component are placed, in order, around the photosensitive drum along the swivel direction. The photosensitive drum is driven to rotate in coordination with the scanning of the original document by the photo system and after being evenly charged by the main charger it is exposed to the lightning of the photo system. Thus, an electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum. The electrostatic latent image is developed into the toner image through the developer component. The toner image is transferred to the paper coming from the paper tray. Then, the toner image is developed on the paper by hot fusing of the developer component. The paper with the carbon toner image is transferred to the paper outlet. After the image is transferred the remaining toner left on the photosensitive drum is recycled by the cleaning component.
In the above copiers, the toner supply device, which supplies toner to the developer components, comprises a toner cartridge and a guide way which is used to guide the installation of the toner cartridge, wherein the toner cartridge supplies toner to the image developer component through a funnel which is installed inside the copier. The guide way is located on the top surface of the funnel and is used to guide the inserting or removing of the toner cartridge. When the toner in the funnel is almost depleted may open the front cover of the copier and remove the toner cartridge from the copier and insert a new toner cartridge through the guide way on the funnel and then close the front cover. Thereby the change of the toner cartridge is complete.
In the market today, there is a toner cartridge for the image forming device which comprises a case for containing the toner and a toner outlet on the bottom surface of the case. The toner outlet closes by a sliding gate. When the funnel of the image developer component in the image forming device still has a small amount of toner, the toner cartridge needs to be replaced. When a new toner cartridge is installed on the funnel, the closed gate of the toner outlet needs to slide to open the toner outlet. Thus the toner inside the cartridge drops from the toner outlet to the funnel and into the image developing component.
There are two steps to change the toner cartridge; 1) removing the toner cartridge from the image forming device and then installing a new toner cartridge into it; 2) sliding the gate of the new toner cartridge. This procedure is inconvenient to the users who are unfamiliar with changing the cartridge. Furthermore, in case the user forgot to close the toner outlet after removing the cartridge from the image forming device, the residual toner inside the toner cartridge will fall through the toner outlet and spread everywhere.